Carl Froch's admiration for Bernard Hopkins could pave the way for a super-fight on British soil should the IBF super-middleweight champion win his unification bout with Mikkel Kessler at The O2.

Bernard Hopkins has declared that Froch is "top of my wish list" for a showdown in late 2013, and while Froch is focused on avenging his 2010 defeat by Kessler on May 25 the Nottingham native has expressed some interest in facing the 48-year-old if the pair can settle on a catch-weight for the fight.

Froch, whose girlfriend Rachael Cordingley gave birth to the couple's second child on Friday March 3, said that the prospect of stepping into the ring with Hopkins intrigues him.

"Hopkins and me would be a huge money fight," Froch told the Daily Mail. "First I have to focus on beating Kessler but I admire Bernard. He keeps in fantastic condition and would present a very awkward challenge."

Speaking at the MGM Grand after watching Floyd Mayweather beat Robert Guerrero, IBF light-heavyweight champion Hopkins admitted he was willing to fight in the UK to secure what would be "a truly massive fight."

"Froch is top of my wish list," said Hopkins, the world's oldest boxing champion. "I have great respect for him as a fighter. He is very exciting and our styles would make for a great fight.

"I will happily go over to the UK to make it happen but of course Carl will have to beat Kessler first. I am rooting for him to do it and I think he will win this time."

The news will come as a blow to WBO light-heavyweight belt-holder Nathan Cleverly, who had hoped to line up a unification bout with Hopkins, but the American refused to rule out a fight with the Welshman.

"Cleverly is a possibility for later this year," Hopkins added, "but Froch is my preference if we can get it made.

"While we could fight for my light-heavy title, there is the option of doing it at a catch-weight we are both comfortable with. A fight of this magnitude matters more in its own right than the belt."